The only trouble is, he lacks the world-weary charisma that made Indy so compelling. Instead, Tintin is somewhat bland - a blank-faced goody two-shoes whose relentless pursuit of the truth, while noble, does begin to grate.

Screenwriters Steven Moffatt, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish have clearly identified this fact, and so Snowy provides the entertainment in the opening sequences, with Captain Haddock taking responsibility in the film's second half.

Exit Theatre Mode

Fans of the books will know Haddock as Tintin's long-time partner-in-crime-fighting, but here the two of them are strangers, with the story detailing the origin of their friendship. As played by Andy Serkis, he's the undoubted star of the show, a cantankerous sea captain with a drink problem and a seemingly endless supply of gruff one-liners (some of which may be a little mature for young audiences).

Indeed, Haddock is the most successful comic character in the film, with series stalwarts Thompson and Thomson something of a disappointment, the pair shoe-horned into proceedings and failing to raise a laugh in spite of the fact that they are voiced by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

As for the villain of the piece, Daniel Craig does his best as the voice of Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine, but the character lacks menace, feeling less like a tangible threat and more like a somewhat antagonistic librarian. Which makes for a film that's filled with action and spectacle, but lacks the kind of intrigue and danger needed to sustain interest throughout.

Tintin and Captain Haddock run into trouble on the high seas.

The result is a fine family flick that eventually runs out of steam and ultimately outstays its welcome, in spite of the fact that the run-time is a relatively brief 107-minutes. Which is frustrating as with some judicious editing and the emphasis on quality rather than quantity on the action front, it could have been a classic.

The decision to use computer animation is largely a successful one, though that spectacular chase aside, it feels like the film could have been shot on location away from the green screens, and thereby avoiding falling into that strange netherworld between live-action and animation.

Spielberg nevertheless seems to be having a ball with the process, bringing an energy and enthusiasm to proceedings that has been missing from his recent output, and proving that when he gets it right, there's no better action director around.

So while this may not be the perfect Tintin adaptation, it's nevertheless an entertaining one; a film that honours the charm and spirit of the books, and one that should please fans and newcomers alike.